


Red as Autumn Leaf and Blood

by Weresilver



Category: Cut & Run - Madeleine Urban & Abigail Roux
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale, Alternate Universe - Werewolf, Established Relationship, M/M, Medieval version of an armed robbery, Red Riding Hood Elements, Werewolves, Whump
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-02
Updated: 2020-11-02
Packaged: 2021-03-08 17:05:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,517
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27350137
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Weresilver/pseuds/Weresilver
Summary: Ty and Zane had an arrangement that worked for both of them, but it was hardly enough time. They decided to have the evening for themselves, but nothing ever goes according to plan.
Relationships: Zane Garrett/Ty Grady
Comments: 5
Kudos: 13





	Red as Autumn Leaf and Blood

**Author's Note:**

> Remember when I said in the notes of Hold Onto Memories that I'd spent the whole month working on it? Well, truth is, I wrote this in the meantime, too. Sometimes you are just possessed by an idea that won't leave you alone until you write it. That, and I've just been itching to write werewolves.
> 
> Originally posted on [Tumblr](https://weresilver-in-space.tumblr.com/post/631367511673356288/red-as-autumn-leaves-and-blood-1) on October 7, 2020.

_Red as autumn leaf and blood, thy love I have found._

They had an arrangement that worked. The man in the red cloak and the wolf of the woods. A wolf that Ty had been surprised to learn could also be human, but pleasantly so. Zane was a good man, with a good family, and he thanked the powers that be every day for the fact that Zane wanted this as much as he did.

He was also certain his parents and grandfather knew of the pack, but no one had ever mentioned anything, and he was not about to do it.

Ty was walking down the same trail he always did, this time with no basket in hands. The one he delivered should last them for a few more weeks. Ty and Zane simply wanted to spend time together with no other pressing duty for either of them, and they had chosen this day to do it.

He let out his best imitation of a howl, holding his laughter in an attempt to prove to Zane that yes, he had paid attention to what he was saying that day. Growing in the distance, he heard a response. Ty could at least say he had been acknowledged, whoever had done it just now.

Minutes passed as the woods grew silent around him. He sat down on the fallen log he and Zane once made a bench of, placing his cloak beside him. He was about halfway through the forest, in the same small clearing he had claimed as the Grady's resting point when he was a child, the same place where the jet-black wolf had tried stealing his food that first time.

Ty chuckled at that particularly skittish meeting. They had come a long way in what he supposed he should call a relationship, and the fact that the rest of the pack - of Zane’s family - had accepted him warmed Ty like not many other things ever had.

The sound of crunched dry leaves behind him drew his attention away from his thoughts, and he stood up before thinking better of it. Zane would have announced himself before coming this close.

“Waiting for someone, pretty boy?” The archer called to him with a sneer. He had the bow at the ready, arrow aimed at him.

Ty raised his arms. He had no weapon on him, not this time, and even if he did, he could not do much from this distance... And the bandit would not be such an idiot to close it. The short movement he caught to the man’s side confirmed that he was not alone.

“I want everything of value you have!” The archer shouted. Ty shook his head. The only thing even remotely worth anything would be his cloak, and it would _barely_ be worth it. “Come on, pass it over! No person just standing here is out for a stroll.”

Ty certainly was not out on a stroll, but there was no way he could tell a convincing story to get out of this now. The archer nodded at him, and the other figure walked from behind a nearby tree, dagger in hand. If he could just take the knife from him and move... He had to do this right.

“I have nothing of value,” he tried one last time, “You are wasting your time.”

The bandit simply glared at him as he approached, and the archer seemed immobile, holding the bow steadily. He patted Ty down, looking for something, _anything_ that could be taken from him for some coin. But he had nothing on him.

He briefly looked up at Ty before turning to glance back at his companion. Ty took the moment to grab the man’s wrist and twist it to get to the dagger, but the man turned his body to throw a punch, and Ty staggered back.

His breath left him in a short, pained shout as a sharper impact hit him, jerking him backward. The archer was readying another arrow when Ty took notice of the warmth and liquid running down his chest. Running down from the wound the arrow had made.

“Move even a little and you are dead,” the Archer threatened, and right now, Ty was inclined to believe they might be willing to do it. He started speaking to his companion without ever taking his eyes off of Ty. “I told you not to turn your back on them. Grab the cloak.”

The bandit rubbed his wrist and slowly stepped backward, further out of his reach. Ty tried breathing in, but grimaced in pain and exhaled slowly. He noticed a sound, echoing oddly through the forest. It was rough and low, and it may have been building up for a while. A growl. And it was closing in.

A large shadow flew past him, lunging against the closest bandit before he could reach out for the cloak, and it made Ty lose his balance. He managed to turn and fall on his back instead of breaking the arrow still stuck on his body, but it shook just enough to make it almost unbearable.

Ty turned to look at the animal that had attacked the bandit, and the man let out a horrifying scream as if aware he was being watched. It could be mistaken for a bear, maybe, but Ty knew the shape, knew that body and had seen enough shifts. But above all, he knew the jet-black fur-coat.

"Zane?” He called softly. Breathing hurt, and Ty could not find the strength to sit up. The last thing he wanted was to become the target of an enraged wolfman.

Zane looked back with a growl and bared teeth that were covered in blood. He was not looking at the man that he had shared food with, whose family always mentioned being gentle and caring.

Ty was looking at the creature who had just killed a man despite all that because they had hurt _him_. His blood ran cold all the same, but he hoped - he _knew_ \- he was safe.

The same crunching noise that had told him he was no longer alone signaled that the archer was trying to escape. Zane’s head snapped forward and the growl was much more menacing. He stood up, the dead body under him forgotten. He was somehow taller and bulkier than Ty knew him to be, and being the target of the fury Ty could hear in his growls... He knew he would have been unable to move.

Ty looked away when Zane moved. He didn’t need to see whatever had become of the bandit or what was about to become of the archer. Instead, he focused on his shallow breaths, trying to get as much air in as he could without worsening the pain.

An arrow of all things.

There was no scream, no sound from the archer that he could hear anymore. The steps he heard were Zane’s, careful and almost silent among fallen tree branches.

Ty turned his head one more time, not trying to raise it from the ground. The huff of air that Zane let out was audible, and his shoulders slumped as he came closer. All the aggression that had been invested in him just a minute ago was gone from his frame. He crouched by Ty’s side, lightly placing a hand on his chest.

Zane was looking around, deeper into the woods then back down the path toward town. Ty placed his hand on top of Zane’s, and he smiled at his apparent surprise. His voice came out even lower when he said, “Sorry for ruining the evening.”

*****

Mark had let him know that Ty had arrived. And Zane had _hurried_. He had heard the commotion but could not get to him before the arrow hit, and what happened after that had been simple instinct mixed with nearly overwhelming worry.

With the bandits out of the way, Zane had to decide what to do, be it taking Ty back to town or further into the pack’s territory. His family was decidedly closer, but there was no way of knowing if anyone there could actually help him. On the other hand, he was half-covered in someone else’s blood and would not be able to simply walk into town, no matter what form he was in.

He was startled out of his indecision by a touch to his hand. Ty was smiling up at him. “Sorry for ruining the evening.”

He shook his head with a wordless grumble. Ty had nothing to apologize for. Zane moved his hand closer to the arrow, coming to a decision. He tried lifting Ty as gently as he could, but the hiss of pain was no surprise. Zane doubted pulling the arrow out would do him any good; it had not gone all the way through, and he knew the bleeding would be worse if he did.

He settled Ty on his arm, holding him the best he could, and began his run down the trail and toward the town. He would find a way to walk in unseen and get Ty the help he needed right now. Not once had it occurred to Zane to stop, to try and clean himself and find someone without his wounded lover in his arms. He had been too late once, and he knew it would be harder to treat him the longer he took.

His mind took him years back, to the first person he loved and lost. Becky had died in a similar enough attack that emotions and fears he thought were in the past resurfaced the moment he had heard Ty trying to talk to the two men.

He had lost control of himself once in grief because he had been incapable of saving her. He refused to repeat the same mistakes with Ty.

Zane stopped at the edge of the town that was abutted by the woods. The Gradys property was close by, Ty had mentioned as much already, but there were still people out and about, he should not… No, he could not worry about being seen, not until Ty was out of danger. He was still breathing, Zane could hear it and his heartbeat, but he had not spoken a word other than the apology. It broke Zane's heart to consider the pain he must have been in.

He continued running alongside the edge of the town, trying to get to Ty’s home as quickly as he could. Zane almost ran past a pair of voices, but he stopped short once the words reached his ears.

“Deacon,” an older voice called, tone stern but at the same time full of concern, “Why the hell would he go out there on his own?”

“He might not be alone,” the other, younger voice replied, “But you heard what Ryan said, there were bandits out there, and Ma is worried about him.”

Zane turned to look in the direction of the voices. The sun was setting, and he could barely make out the features of the two men walking toward the woods. They were both tall, with enough a resemblance to one another to perhaps be father and son.

He gave a hesitant step forward, drawing their attention, and both of them tensed. Zane was acutely aware of his state; he just hoped they would refrain from immediately attacking him.

The two men exchanged a glance, the older one being the first to move toward him. Soon, his son followed. With each step they took, Zane further lowered his body, hunching protectively over Ty and slightly tightening his hold. They stopped several feet away from him at the sound of the low growl he let out.

They were close enough now that Zane could truly see them. The man directly in front of him had graying hair and seemed only slightly larger than Ty, while the other one had to be about his age, with light brown hair and a thinner frame. He glanced down at Ty, noticing the similarities just as the breeze brought their scents in. They were all too similar. These men were family. _His family_.

Zane turned his attention to them once more, straightening himself so they could see who he was carrying. They were his father and brother. They could help. _Heavens_ , he hoped they could help him.

"Beaumont?" The older man called, and Ty stirred some, trying to turn to look at them. "Jesus, boy."

The brother was the one to move first, though, quickly closing the distance despite the limp he had and standing in front of Zane without caring about what he looked like.

"You must be Zane," he whispered. He had heard their father call him Deacon. He smiled weakly, briefly examining the wound and arrow. "He told me about you." Before he could elaborate, the other man approached. Deacon turned to talk to him. "We need to get him home."

He nodded, not commenting on anything nor demanding Zane to leave. Maybe he knew it would not work. He led the way in silence and quick strides. The house was among those closest to the woods and had enough space for some home-grown food. Enough for Zane to approach unseen, maybe.

"Can you get him inside?" Their father asked, glancing at Deacon once they were close to the house. He nodded, moving to take Ty from Zane's arms, and he let go despite not quite wanting to.

The two of them took Ty inside, his complaints barely reaching Zane's ears. Deacon had Ty's right arm over his shoulders, and he had cursed and hissed at every motion of his upper right body. He leaned against his father, trying to get away from Deacon.

Outside, Zane was left on his own. His heart was beating harder than he could recall from recent years. He turned his face upward and took a deep breath, trying to calm himself, but it was no help. Ty had gone out there because he asked him to. There was no reason at all for him to be in the woods that evening. His brother seemed to know of him, and his father had no real reaction, but… He had no illusions about being, ultimately, the reason he was wounded.

“You are a Garrett?” The voice cut through his thoughts, and Zane looked down at Ty’s father in surprise. “You should come inside. You might have just saved my son's life by bringing him home, the least we can do is let you clean yourself."

Zane looked at the open back door. He could see some movement inside the house, could see Deacon going from place to another, taking whatever it was he had in hand further into the house.

He would be of no help. He could not even calm his heart enough to shift at the moment. Zane turned his attention back to the man, and he nodded in apparent understanding, walking back inside without another word.

Zane turned and ran back toward the woods. Hopefully, the cloak would still be there.

**Author's Note:**

> You can find me on [tumblr](https://weresilver-in-space.tumblr.com/), and on the [Brick & Mortar discord server](https://discord.gg/zEP5ZMG) if you are looking for a place to chat! :)


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